Dr Jack
by dreamgoddess'92
Summary: Emily is feeling under the weather and it's up to Hotch and Dr. Jack to make her feel better. If you look closely you'll see H/P sweetness.


Hello everybody.

Here's a little story to make you go 'aw' and to tide you over until chapters 4 and 5 of Days Go By (which will be up tomorrow!) I've had this idea in my head for a few days now, so I'm happy to get it out in the open. I'm also tossing around a few ideas for a story after "Retaliation" because that was a good episode!

I do not own Criminal Minds (because fate is cruel).

Please enjoy and review.

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_When an illness knocks you on your ass,_

_you should stay down and relax for a while_

_before trying to get back up._

_~Candea Core-Starke_

If there was one thing Emily hated more than paper word it was being sick.

The light streaming in through her curtains was too bright and her apartment was suddenly too cold. The sound of Emily's alarm made her head scream in protest. Her stomach was churning like a choppy sea during a hurricane and her muscles ached with every subtle movement she attempted to make. It was like being hung over without the previous night of heavy drinking.

Emily was fairly certain if she so much as showed her face around Quantico she'd be kicked out faster than she could blink; no one wanted to be sick. Plus, she certainly didn't want to give anyone her bug. Especially Hotch and JJ who had kids at home. Emily squinted up at her ceiling and sighed as she tried to calm her stomach; no such luck.

In a flurry of frantic arms and legs, Emily bolted from her bed and raced down the hall to her bathroom barely making it in time. As Emily emptied her stomach she remembered the pile of large files waiting for her on her desk and she felt even worse. Due to the recent influx of cases, Emily had fallen behind with her paper work and she wasn't the only one. She had planned on using this morning as a catch up day. JJ and Hotch had both agreed before the team got home yesterday that they should be taken off rotation so they could catch their breath for a few days. No one disagreed.

Emily laid her damp forehead against the back of the toilet and took a few steadied breaths in and out. Her stomach didn't want to settle which made it harder for Emily to move. Her head was throbbing and she couldn't see straight. She needed to call Hotch and let him know there was no way in hell she was coming in today.

Emily shuffled back to her room, careful not to make any sudden movements to disrupt the semi-peaceful state her stomach had settled into. She fumbled around her bedside table and finally grasped her phone. Pressing the number two, Emily hit send and waited as the ringing echoed in her lit room. Stupid sun.

"Hotchner" Emily heard Hotch say and smiled as she recognized the voice of Jack in the background. He must be running pretty late if he was still with Jack. The music Emily could hear made her think he was in the car on his way to Jessica's.

"It's Prentiss, I won't be in today." Emily said feeling her voice crack due to her raw throat. It was burning, which prompted a particularly nasty coughing fit. Hotch flinched at the pain in Emily's voice and frowned as her coughs rang in his ears. He had noticed how she looked a little paler than usual yesterday, but he hadn't thought anything of it.

"I take it you're not feeling well." Hotch said once her coughing fit had dwindled to the occasional clearing of the throat. Hotch pulled into Jessica's drive and watched as she came to retrieve Jack. Emily's chuckled broke through the minor case of separation anxiety he felt course though him. Hotch relaxed.

"What was your first clue?" Emily asked playfully making Hotch's lips quirk up. Even when sick, Emily could make him smile. Emily coughed a few more times but managed to hear Hotch's goodbye to his son and Jessica. She knew he hated being away from Jack, but Jack had told her once that he was glad his daddy was back to catching the bad guys. When she told Hotch that his eyes had watered a little and Emily had patted his arm assuring him that Jack was okay with Hotch being back at work.

Emily wanted to ask Hotch to bring her some files if he had the time but the fact he'd scold her for working while ill stopped her. That and the fact he had enough on his plate without being her maid so to speak. The image of Hotch in a French maid's outfit flashed in Emily's head and nearly caused her to choke on her laughter, which turned into another coughing fit. It this kept up, she'd have no lung left to breathe with.

"You still alive over there?" Hotch asked both teasingly and serious. Most of the time Hotch was able to lighten up when Emily was with him and they weren't at work. Emily's laughter on the other end calmed his nerves a little and he waited for her reply.

"So far so good." Emily said and clutched her stomach in pain barely managing to suppress her moan of pain. Hotch heard it though and gripped his steering wheel a little tighter than normal. It was obvious she had more than a simple cold.

"Emily, is there anything I can do to help?" Hotch asked uneasy with the apparent discomfort Emily was suffering. Emily was touched with Hotch's concern and almost asked him to grab the files from the office for her, but reined in her words. She was almost certain that Hotch would do anything for her especially since Foyet entered, and left, their lives. Despite that tasty tidbit, Emily didn't feel like making herself a burden.

"No, just don't expect me in for a few days, there's no way I'm going to risk giving you or the others this bug." Emily said reluctantly. Hotch's frown deepened, knowing she was going to ask him something but changed her mind. He wasn't going to call her out on it though, he figured whatever she had wanted she'd ask of JJ or Garcia. He'd corner them in the office once he got there. He didn't like hearing Emily so uncomfortable and it hurt him to think that she didn't want him to help. Then again, Emily was a lot like him. She didn't like appearing weak.

"Take as long as you need. I want you to drink plenty of liquids and actually attempt to get some sleep." Hotch replied letting his fatherly side take over. He really wanted her to get better soon, it would feel odd going to work and not seeing her there teasing Reid, joking with Morgan and Dave as well as gossiping with JJ and Garcia. Not to mention making sure Hotch smiled once in a while. She really was an essential part to there team and Hotch had a feeling he wouldn't be the only one in a funk if Emily didn't show up for work.

"Yes sir, I'll be sure to do that." Emily rolled her eyes but smiled at his caring tone. Emily said goodbye just in time and found herself running back to her bathroom, phone discarded on the floor. Emily cursed as she threw up violently once more. Hotch looked at his phone and sighed. He knew by the time he got to the office Emily would've talked to JJ about whatever it was she wanted and he'd save JJ a trip out. He was perfectly capable of taking care of a sick Emily.

Hotch walked into the office and sure enough there was JJ, looking around Emily's desk for something. Resisting the urge to call Emily back up and berate her, Hotch approached JJ. Sensing the new presence, JJ looked up and grinned guiltily at Hotch; she'd been caught. JJ handed Hotch the pile of files she had been gathering for Emily.

"She must be pretty bad off if she wants to do paper work. I tried to tell her it was the last thing she needed to be doing, but once she got her few threats out of the way and mentioned that she'd go crazy cooped up in her house all day I caved." JJ admitted shaking her head as Morgan walked past them chuckling.

"That woman never learns." Morgan said. Hotch mentally agreed with Morgan as he took the files from JJ. Emily hated being inactive, Hotch wondered if she hated it more than being sick. As he counted the number of files, he was sure that was an accurate assumption.

"I told her not to eat that sandwich from the gas station." Reid said not looking up from his own files. She was stubborn, and as far as Reid was concerned that was the only reason she was sick; well that and the sandwich she consumed was strongly disagreeing with her stomach. Reid decided though, in light of the fact Emily had no problem hitting him, he'd refrain from telling her 'I told you so' when she returned in three to four days.

JJ nodded, Reid had told her not to eat it, but she did anyway. Morgan just shook his head and headed back to his office.

"So I take it, I've been dismissed from Emily duty for the night?" JJ asked Hotch smiling knowingly at her boss. Hotch grimaced at her smug expression but nodded his head. JJ chuckled and went on her merry way, already planning on telling Garcia about this recent development.

Hotch looked down at the files in his hands and sighed, he needed to figure out how to make Emily feel better and fast. Looking at her empty desk made him depressed.

- - - - - - -

Emily spent the better part of her day on her couch with a large pot next to her in case of an emergency. She couldn't keep anything down, not that she was in the mood for eating, but her temperature was barely above 99 degrees. In other words, Emily felt like crap: That was the nice way of putting it.

She wondered when JJ would be dropping by with her paper work so she'd actually have something to do. However, Emily was enjoying the silent movie marathon on TMC. Dr. Jack, a silent film from 1922, was playing and it made Emily feel a little better. She laughed at the funny parts and awed at the sweet parts. Emily knew Hotch was partial to older movies and she wondered how he felt about silent films.

A knock at Emily's door startled her, but she quickly got up to thank JJ profusely. Emily didn't look through her peep hole, something Hotch would most definitely scold her for, and got quite the shock.

"Hi Miss Em'ly. Daddy said you weren't feeling good so we came to make you feel better!" Jack Hotchner said happy to see his new friend. Emily saw that he carried a little bag that looked strikingly like an old fashioned doctor's bag and looked up to met Hotch's eyes.

Mirth was frolicking with amusement in his dark eyes and Emily immediately felt the corners of her mouth lift in spite of her initial shock. She should've known he would've gotten to JJ eventually. Emily stepped back and gestured for Hotch and Jack to enter. Jack bounced passed Emily as Hotch handed her the files she had requested from JJ. The look in his eyes told her she was in trouble. She grimaced but felt her heart beat quicken when Hotch squeezed her hand quickly before joining Jack in her living room.

"Miss Em'ly, I think your TV's broke!" Jack called to her. Emily heard Hotch start to explain to Jack that the movie on her screen didn't have spoken words because it was a silent movie. Jack responded with 'that's weird' before Emily shut her door and went back into her living room. Emily noticed the bag in Hotch's hand and raised a questioning brow. Hotch just continued to smile at her then looked to Jack and gestured towards Emily.

"Miss Em'ly, I need you to sit down so I can fix you. I'm a doctor!" Jack said proudly, holding up his makeshift doctor's bag. Emily smiled at Jack's enthusiasm and did as he asked. She was hesitant though, not wanting to get him sick. Hotch saw her hesitation and chuckled.

"You should've listened to Reid," was all he said before going into her kitchen. Emily's eyes widened and she suddenly had the urge to palm her forehead. Of course, that sandwich Reid had told her not to eat. She had a mild case of food poisoning, slightly less dire than what Emily had originally thought. Chuckling at her own foolishness, Emily sat still while Dr. Jack attended to her. Emily couldn't help but think Jack was the cutest thing as he checked her reflexes and her temperature with a fake thermometer. She did her best to keep a straight face though as Jack made her open her mouth. Thank goodness she had just brushed her teeth.

Emily could hear Hotch rummaging around in her kitchen and it wasn't long before she smelt the aroma of chicken noodle soup. Her stomach growled which sent Dr. Jack into a fit of giggles. "I think she's hungry Daddy." Jack said loud enough for Hotch to hear who in turn laughed. "Just make sure she'd okay Dr. Jack," he replied and Jack went back to inspecting Emily.

Once he was done, Dr. Jack's brow furrowed as he tried to come up with a cure for her tummy ache.

"So Dr. Jack, will I recover?" Emily asked seriously. Dr. Jack thought for a moment more before he replied as seriously and professionally as he could. He was, after all only four years old; medical terminology was not incorporated into the standard brain of a young child like Jack.

"Yes, but you have to eat the soup Daddy made and get lots of sleep. No work, just lots of T.V." Dr. Jack said crossing his arms over his chest, trying to look intimidating. It took everything Emily had not to burst into laughter. She knew he'd play the 'no work' card, she didn't doubt Hotch would say something to her about it before they left as well.

"Alright Dr. Jack. I won't do any work and I'll just rest on my couch." Emily solemnly promised and Jack burst into a bright smile, which warmed Emily's heart. He really was a great kid. Hotch chose that moment to enter the living room with a steaming bowl of soup and stopped to watch Jack pull the blanket over Emily's body. He patted her head affectionately and Hotch saw Emily's eyes soften into a melted chocolate.

"Daddy, I made her all better!" Jack exclaimed when Hotch walked over and handed Emily her soup.

"I see that buddy, you did a great job." Hotch said ruffling his son's hair. "I trust you'll follow the doctor's orders Emily?" he asked eyeing her carefully. The last thing he wanted was Emily working with a sensitive stomach and a low fever: He had seen her thermometer. Emily looked like she was going to disagree, but to Hotch's relief she nodded her head and patted Jack's arm gently.

"Thank you Dr. Jack. I feel much better." Emily said after taking a sip of the delicious soup Hotch prepared.

"You're welcome Miss Em'ly. Now you have to get better so you can work with Daddy to catch the bad guys." Jack said determined. Emily nodded her head in agreement and moved her feet so Hotch and Jack could sit down on the couch with her. Hotch was about to protest, but Jack climbed up and sat next to her, cuddling into her side. Hotch met Emily's eyes and felt his heart jump at the tender look in their depths. Hotch sat down next to his son and together they watched their silent movie in peace.

Emily relaxed and looked over at Hotch who turned to look at her at the same time. They shared a smile as Emily mouthed, 'thank you.' Hotch shook his head, telling her it was no problem, and reached over Jack and grabbed her hand. With Hotch's hand in hers and Jack cuddling next to her, Emily felt better than she had in a very long time.

Thank goodness for Dr. Jack.

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Aw! I love Jack, he makes me smile. The silent movie Dr. Jack is actually a really good movie, I saw it one day on TV and now I want to own it. *laugh* I just thought Jack playing doctor was the cutest thing and once I got it in my head, I had to write a story. Also, I love playing with Emily and Hotch. (not surprising I'm sure) I'm also working on a sequel for "The Stories Scars Tell" and since tomorrow is my last day of school before break, I can promise I will be busy writing fanfics while on vacation!

I hope you enjoyed my story.

Peace out.


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